Cesar Millan Opinions

As you may know, in 2010 Cesar Millan embarked on his first ever UK tour.

The Dog Whisperer divides opinion amongst dog people. He has many fans and many detractors.

He has certainly caused a sensation worldwide and got people talking about dog training and debating methods, styles and approach. We know, as he’s appeared on our cover, that Cesar Millan tends to attract two distinct opinions: there are those who LOVE him and those who DON’T!

For those who love him, you’ll no doubt be aware that his UK national tour: The Dog Whisperer Live, drew huge crowds of dog lovers keen to lap up his teachings on canine behaviour and dog ownership skills.

But what would a K9 Magazine article be without a debate?

So we asked for opinions on Cesar and present them here. You can add your own using the comments section at the bottom of this page:

Cesar Millan: Opinions

The world-famous Dog Whisperer splits opinion amongst dog people.

It seems that many dog trainers don’t approve, but many dog owners adore the man and cite his TV show as a catalyst for improving their own dog’s behaviour.

His Dog Whisperer books are constantly top sellers globally, here is some of your thoughts on the man who has become, without much argument, the most famous dog trainer in the world...

Michael
Cesar has tremendous self confidence and dogs respect that.
He also has a genuine respect and affection for all dogs. Those attributes combined with his basic set of rules for keeping a happy obedient dog are for me much less complicated and above all, much more effective than those of his detractors.

Rose Browning
If it hadn't been for the dog whisperer Cesar Milan I would not have taken on BB aka Big Boy a half rotty blinded in one eye at 8 weeks old and saved by me with the help of friends family and the PDSA from being put to sleep for want of a 400 pound operation. I was so scared of having a dog whose breed had a reputation and who should he wish to could inflict terrible injury. From day one I used things I had learnt from Cesar's television programmes to always be top dog in our relationship. It was so different to how I had been with my previous dogs but now 3 years on and having almost given up a few times in the first year or two I have a great companion who has never snapped at dog or man. He is a lovely dog whose only fault now is being BIG and desperate to befriend any dog or cat. If Cesar was able to spend some time with us it would be to help me calm him down around cats he wants to befriend and to teach him to wait for people he loves to approach him instead of charging in and licking hands. He also has a big woof which scares people when he rushes up to say hello, tail wagging furiously. We live in a converted mini bus in a field near Glastonbury ,Somerset and I work as a nurse/carer for an elderly couple, oh yes B comes to work too. Cesar you are amazing and I cannot praise you enough. THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU

Susan
You only have to do a youtube for Milan to see videos of him using cruel shock treatment, so much so the poor dog would not stop whining with pain and tried to hide under the chair. At one stage when Milan shocked the dog it turned and tried to bite him. There are other horrendous videos of him at work. Cruelty is never necessary to train a dog. AS for using the shock collars only someone who does not know how to train a dog would use one. It is the lazy cheats way with no concern for the dog at all. Do a google for Milan and you will find he is being sued by a client as his dog was over used on the treadmill, hung up by its collar until it was half asphyxiated to subdue it, ended up with blood coming from its nose. You only see on the TV what they want you to see .. that is a caring clever dog trainer. You dont see the horrible side of what he does or the cruelty. Read through the whole if this report about him. Two pages but worth the read http://www.k9obedience.co.uk/dogbehaviour/behaviourist/cesarmillandogwhisperer.html Milan is also responsible for his helpers at his centre where cruelty is well known to happen, Milan knows it but does nothing to stop it.

Yes a lot of his methods are good methods and do work, but his quick fixes of cruelty are shameful. If they were done in the UK where I live he would be had up for animal cruelty and prosecuted.

Michelle Maloney
I've watched many of Cesar’s shows and find him fascinating, but i do wonder ‘is he really that good??’ I have two Airedale Terriers and they are fine when were at home but when we take them out for walks they change, they don’t listen and they don't follow instructions, its become so bad that if there are other people (or dogs) around they run off and will not come back. They’re not vicious, they just want to play with everything and everyone they see! It’s just a little embarrassing when your out in public and your dogs don’t take any notice of you!. If he came and worked with my dales and I, and changed theirs (and mine) behaviour then I would worship him!!!

Tan
I live in Durban South Africa and am a huge dog lover. I have 5 dogs at home. 2 daschunds, 1 boerboel x (sort of like a mastiff) a ridgeback (south African breed) and a staffy x. They are all bitches and all live very happily.
I have even had a dog behavourist come to the house to give me more tips on being the pack leader and to make sure I was doing all things correctly. All long before Cesar was on TV.
I spend a lot of time reading dog behaviour and training books as well as watching as many doggie programmes as I can. The more I understand my dog the better chance me and the dogs have of a happy calm life. None of my dogs walk through a door before me, I walk first then they follow.
With all that I have read and watched, never have i come across a programme like Ceasar’s that has been so easy to follow and has produced such great results in such a short time. I have tried a few of his techniques and the work fantastically. I think he is wonderful!

I really don’t care that he is doing shows everywhere. He helps dogs and helps people to help themselves to help their dogs. That really is the point for me. Also by doing this, he is reaching and educating more people. If he has found a way of making more money, well good for him is what I say. Why not.

Big fan

Jackie
I think Cesar has some points that are worthy of criticism….dogs haven’t lived in the wild for 15,000 years and don’t act as their ancestors would…BUT I also think he has an amazing talent for reading a situation, and his views on calm assertive leadership and exercise, discipline, affection are spot on. Like all trainers, we can pick the parts that work best for us and discard the others. I don’t practise or agree with all his methods, but I have certainly benefited from some! He is a great entertainer and a dog lover. I don’t believe he would deliberately ever cause harm to a dog…just some of his ways are a little out-dated. views and methods constantly change in every profession.

29 Comments

Victoria Thomas

March 25, 2011 at 6:15 am

Sorry, Millan is not a dog trainer, he’s a Showman. He uses methods that were used in the 60’s and 70’s and weren’t effective then either!
How can inflicting pain on a dog teach him anything other than humans are cruel and to be feared? How many dogs have been put down as a result of his ‘training’? Dogs are not wolves, they’ve evolved a very long way since then.
Millan doesn’t train a dog, inasmuch as he doesn’t teach the dog what he wants, he merely teaches a dog that reacting a certain way will result in pain. The dog learns that certain actions will result in being hurt, but it still doesn’t know the right way to behave.
Two doors up from me is a beautiful Doberman bitch who was ‘taught’ the Millan way. We see her in the park. She never plays, barks or leaves her owner’s side, she’s a nervous wreck who shakes constantly and daren’t even sniff the grass for fear of being pinned down. The poor animal can only stand and watch other dogs fetching balls, gambolling together and being their natural selves. This owner is proud of his dog, everyone else sees a sad animal living half a life. I’d rather have my two exuberant, fun loving, occasionally ‘deaf’ dogs anyday.

What pain are you talking about? I’ve never seen Cesar use any painful method. If pain is being inflicted, then people are not doing the exercise right. I have a friend who trained with Cesar and he’s so amazing with improving negative dog behavior….pain free, just like Cesar. I don’t think you know what you’re talking about.

I have watched every episode of the Dog Whisperer and have NEVER seen any cruelty or inhumane methods by Cesar Millan. Times may have moved on since the 60s but dogs are still the same, they still need to respect the pact leader who should be calm and assertive, your opinions are subjecture and half baked. Have you actually watched him? The owner of the Doberman you mentioned is obviously NOT calm and assertive and could urgently use Cesars help, If you actually watch the Dog Whisperer in action you will see that the last thing he wants is a fearful anxious dog. Think before posting and do the world a favour, don’t own a dog.

Dear readers, so the question is what do i think and feel.
well i feel that as with life there is possitives and negatives with all aspects of training dogs weather it be ceaser’s method or his arch rival victoria stillwell,
personlly as a dog lover and dog owner i believe both have beneficial approches to helping todays dogs adjust to our continuesly changing world, and both sides of the debate have a very valid reson for liking one method and not liking the other, which ever that may be.
with out going into grave detail with regards to dna, and the facts about how wolves where intergrated into our socierty and over many genarations they inturn became the canis lupis familuris otherwise known as our pet dog and waisting my time on yet another debate that just courses animosity among dog lovers.
instead I say this if you our reding this then we all have one thing in common and that is we want the best for our dogs, and we love them dearly! and providing you are doing your best to understand and learn from your pet in your day to day interactions, then that is all that truelly matters.

I will say this though if i was a dog trainer or dog behaviourist, i would try anything within reason to help prevent my dog from carrying out a behaviour that could deem her dangerous, in order to prevent her from beeing aneathitised, waying up the pros and cons at all times.
On the flipside if i had to suggest to another owner that there dog will need to be put to sleep due to my own failing’s as a trainer, then i would seriosly reconsider my chosen career and debate in my mind if being a dog trainer is my true calling in life after all.

after all this whole debate has come about because two humans our teaching dogs how to do that, so if we fail has humans to see the benefit of both methods and theorys, then we will fail to achieve it with our own dogs.

I think the problem here is that people are assuming that if they apply the same methods used by Cesar and follow them almost in a “dog whispering by numbers” way, then they will have the same results. That is not correct. To my mind, what Cesar shows on TV is the application of his own methods utilised against the background of his own knowledge and consciousness of energy presentation; that is to say, the fact that Cesar reacts to a behaviour in a certain way at a certain point in time with a certain dog does not mean that in all such circumstances an “amateur” dog owner using the same methods will obtain the same results. If you take the time to listen to his teaching, you will hear that the most important message he conveys is that energy is everything. If a correction is made following an example from a Dog Whisperer show, but with an unbalanced energy pitted against the wrong reading of a dog’s signals, then disaster can ensue.

He is often faced with cases where a dog’s behaviour has escalated to a degree where considerable damage has been done in the preceding years. The concept of provision of a strong, balanced and disciplined pack leader can be something which has been missing from these dogs’ lives for a number of years, and as such, the introduction of such a figure can cause immediate stress/shut-down or violent reactions to animals who have essentially “forgotten” how to be a dog, and whose experiences with their well-intentioned but ultimately lost owners have compounded their anxieties. It can be a real shock to their system to realise that there is someone who can speak their language, but once they realise that that’s what is happening, they become calm rather than anxious, and in the vast majority of cases do not try to avoid Cesar, or interact with him in a fearful way.

I think many of Cesar’s critics are perhaps a little naive and short-sighted in judging his more extreme cases as an example of his attitude to dog training overall. As set out above, he is often dealing with severe cases of remedial dogs who have developed issues over a long period of time as a result of human failings. As he has repeatedly stated, the energy levels must match at all times, and if a dog is displaying dominance or aggression to the point where he is attacking other dogs or people, then the energy utilised to prevent that behaviour must be of an equal or greater strength. I suspect many people have a problem with his frequent use of the word “submissive” in terms of how dogs should act, as it sounds negative and as if the dogs are being bullied. I personally believe that submission in pack animals is simply the general balance which is displayed by those who allow others to lead their pack or herd.

Whether you love or hate Cesar and his methodology, it would be extremely difficult and, I feel, misguided to argue that he goes through life addressing issues and providing guidance for dogs and owners who have nowhere else to turn, out of any malice or a desire to encourage society to be in any way cruel to its canine friends, or to bring about anything but positive outcomes. His goal is balanced dogs and balanced owners. I think that, as with anything in life, you have to take concepts such as his and extract the parts that can work for you in real life, but without attempting to assume that you can jump feet first into any kind of interaction with animals without a degree of self-awareness and background knowledge.

We must remember that Dog Whisperer is a TV show. It’s not designed as a training course or an ABC of how to deal with a remedial dog.

There will always be supporters and critics of any professional in any arena, but ultimately we must accept that no one is perfect. Anyone whose mission in life is to ATTEMPT, in their own way, to make the world a better place for animals, has my vote.

i think cesar is fantastic at what he does, people go on about his methods bein cruel they are he is only doing what a dog would do to a nuther dog when it misbehaves. i have a rottweilr who is 4 years old and did up until this january have a 14 year old alsation. kira (alsation was great with uther dogs and everything) then we got tyson at 1 and a half years olf from a neighbour he had been locked in a house for two weeks no food or water he has sevear aggression towards uther dogs and chilrden and since watchin cesar i have learned his techniques and now tyson isnt aggressive towards other dogs he calmly sits or lies down and waits for the dog to go past and also now lets groups of children crowd round him and pet him all over and he isnt fazed by it, now you carnt read this and say thta it isnt proof thta his techniques dont work iam 17 years old and can make a 54kg male rottweiler change his behaviour with watchin how cesar does it! so just think about that before you critasize his techniques and say they are cruel.

I saw Cesar on the first night of his tour in London. At no point during the show did he use or advocate inhumane methods for rehabilitating dogs. I used Cesar’s technique when we got our Staff from Battersea two years ago and she is now a well balanced friendly dog. We must remember that Cesar does not train like Victoria Stillwell. I use a number of different techniques with my dogs some training some energy related depending on the circumstances and what i want to achieve. You should use whatever suits your dog best. Cesar has helped me become a more calm person and one that lives in the moment and not worry unnecessarliy about what could happen in the future. I am able to deal with lifes problems much better and i think my dogs have benefitted from my calmer nature. i am not saying they are perfect (i still haven’t cracked the habit of two of them jumping all around me everytime i come home or around visitors) but on the whole they are good dogs and i like to think they are enjoying life. As far as i am concerned Cesar is the best and i watch his shows at every oppertunity.

i think cesar is amazing at what he does, and oviously has a good connection with any dog. If he was so cruel why do dogs show him affection and look up to him. He helps every dog. He has never sujested putting a dog “down” as alot of other dog trainers would.
I look up to him and thanks to him, my two german shepherds are very well behaved.

yes .. i did lost the opportunity to have a good chat with him in his last tour in london, i met him in wimbledon but he was so busy with fans that became impossible to spend a good time with him.
Anyway, i try to follow his methods and whom show me every day that his methods it’s real and work, its is my on pack.
There is one of my pack’s videos that show his tecnics. I believe that cesar just try to copy a dog.
And you are going to see what is all about body language and energy and it all will depends on the level or intensity of the dog that you are working with.

Reading the previous comments we have to remember that it is us that have the responsibility to train. We take on an animal and must use the most appropiate method to train them. One method may work on one animal but not the next. Prior to ever seeing Ceaser I use the same method as a dog would use to ‘train’ another dog. I was never over used the technique as that may produce the wrong result. Once again WE are responsilble for the training and the animals response not the persons who gives us the way to do it.

i say let cesar do what he dose you can take it or leave it. its everones right to decide if they want to youse his training style or not. I have a golden retriver how is nearly 4 and has been diagnosed with rage syndrome which effects the emotion – related parts of the brain and is getting worse with ever episode. I have spoken to over 50 dog trainers in the uk and only two said they can help but with no effected so if cesar can help my dog in any way hes more for helping than all the trainers i spoke to.

I cannot believe any one who watches the dog whisper show can think it is cruel, the collar, some suggested was a shock one is not true, it is a vibration similar to that on a mobile phone and when he puts an aggressive dog on their side it calms them down.
some people use his techniques wrongly and this can result in the opposite effect any dogs rehabilated by cesear on the show improve greatly provided the owner follows up the appropiate training and the dog will be a more balanced one ,training requires patience and time which cesaer provides and the man in question who mentioned a dog trained by cesaer and doesn’t interact with other dogs is not how it is shown on tv all his clients dogs are introduced to his pack if they have issues with other dogs and he always says how important it is too sociialise all dogs , to answer sarahs question cesear has said about rage syndrome or springer rang this a neurological condition as im sure you know this and can only be treated with medication but i am sure he can help with other issues the dog may have and not letting the dog get into stressful situations as epelipsy is also neurological and a seizure can be caused by stress as i have seen with my own dog. I hope this helps i am a huge fan of his show and i would not watch it if i thought there was any cruelty involved i have worked with rescue and abused dogs for a number of years and have never seen anyone quite like him.
linda

Recently, I was at one of Cesar’s shows and he didn’t have to inflict any cruelty on any of the dogs there to get them to follow his lead, even when they wouldn’t follow their own owners and instead dragged them round the stage. I’m no dog expert, but I can see that Cesar really knows his stuff and he has helped millions of people around the world love their dogs even more.

I love ceaser he his methods have worked a treat with my husky dog, he knows his stuff and is not cruel at all and for those people who say he is the simple thing is not to watch him if he offends you so much. I for one think he has worked wonders for dogs and owners all over the world keep up the good work ceaser :)

Cesar Milan has a realistic grasp on dog behavior. He has been gifted with the ability to understand the true language of the dog.

The very people who don’t like him, or think he is cruel, are the very ones who have created the horrendous behavioral issues in the dogs to begin with. The same dogs he works with in an attempt to turn their behavior around.

If Cesar is so cruel, abusive, and ridiculed by other “so called trainers,” then let me see those trainers address the red zone dog. Let me see them undo aggression with their treats and clickers. These people are the ones who are cruel and torturous to the dog. Unfortunately, they don’t understand dog behavior. Do they honestly believe that if they ignore the problem it will go away?

Cesar solves problems. The people who knock him wouldn’t even touch these types of dogs. They would be too afraid. So before anyone puts down this brilliant man for his methods, come up with a better way that will genuinely work, and will get the job done. Cesar’s methods work, and he gets the job done.

i totally agree,
when i first saw how cesar reacted to dogs i was like he is the MAN.
other trainers just want the money not like cesar who gets in touch with dogs and walks them through every thing. other trainers they get the money for there worthless clickers and treats.
no wonder cesar gives proof that he knows how, other are fake. how?:they dont have proof videos.

I totally agree Lexie!! So many people on the show are on the verge of putting the ‘red zone’ dog down on advice from a trainer. I don’t see how anyone who calls themselves an animal lover can protest at his methods, which WORK when the alternative is the dog being put to sleep for behaviour which was caused by humans to start with.

Having read a few of the above comments to begin with I followed advice and looked through a huge amount of Cesar Milans video’s on youtube. I have to say, if lady above has seen Cesar being cruel you need to direct me exactly to the video’s you are talking about. PLEASE DIRECT ME, I WOULD LIKE TO SEE THEM FOR MYSELF.
The Ones I’ve seen which I suspect you are commenting on are his #RED ZONE or close to red zone cases.
In most cases he teaches how to use their voice, How to become the Pack Leader.
I too have put a lot of his methods into practice with my own dog. He was very unmanageable but I discovered he reacted to sound, and made good use of my voice, ALWAYS following up with lots of praise and love.
Unless it’s proved otherwise to me I will always remain a fan of Cesar but I am open to people showing me why he is being so hunted and attacked.
Just this week, I witnessed him being attacked by Alan Titchmarsh on his talk show. I found myself asking, if he was going to attack him so severely and misrepresent his methods so arogantly why bother having him on the show for his 2 minute slot and hardly let him speak to explain himself. I am no longer a fan of Alan Titmush as I feel he holds a responsible position as a talk show host and acted very irrisponsibly and disrespectfully of Cesar.
I would be as annoyed and angry if he had treated any other guest on his show the same way. I was Appauled.
PLEASE SHOW ME the evidence to support these claims to give me opportunity to re-evaluate for myself.
What I’ve seen and what I know so far, I am still a fan.

One other thing I wanted to mention.
Many years ago I watched on our old black and white tv a show called ‘Train your dog the Barbara Woodhouse way’.
Very young at the time I sat infront of the tv in awe. (We’d never had a dog whilst growing up).
I watched for a while as one owner struggled with her little dog to get him to ‘HEAL’ the Woodhouse way. When the dog wouldn’t listen, Barbara Woodhouse walked up sternly, picked pu the little dog and smacked it so hard about 4 times. Then when it went to bite her it got another pasting from her. And people praised her to the hilt that she was a superb dog drainer. I’m afraid after witnessing that I was very upset and thought at the time how cruel it was. How cruel she was. I never bothered watching or having anything to do with dogs or training again.
Until I got my own dog from the rescue pound about 10 years ago (I’m 49 now).
I took him to training but found the trainers methods frightened my dog more than helped us and I was never relaxed or comfortable about enforced discipline of that manner.
One day I watched Cesar, decided yes a good showman, but found that I understood where he was coming from and liked how he handled the dogs and immediately got their respect. He’d explained to one owner to use your voice in a commanding way. YOU are pack leader, You pay the house bills, You run the house, your dog has taken on the role of pack leader because he sees you as not strong enough in his eyes.
That first show changed everything about how I handled my dog.
I’ve learned above all things that a dog needs to first respect you and love always follows.

My instincts tell me that Cesar is misrepresented and is a good person. His methods are sound and he is known as the man who handles and is most able to turn around red zone cases, where most other dog trainers would rather go the easy route and have them put-down.

He approaches from a dogs perspective and understands dog behaviour better than I’ve seen anyone so far to date.

CM uses out-dated, abusive and cruel methods. He IS NOT a qualified behaviourist or trainer. Why on earth people choose to listen to him and totally ignore the experts is beyond me. Fear and pain have no place in dog training.

If Cesar Milan is so confident in his training methods he wouldn’t force his clients to sign a disclaimer/gagging order. He has NOT been gifted with anything just a big head and self-opinion; he kicks and punches dogs or in his words “touches them” and uses fear and power over them, especially those who have had previous abuse and so he controls them through fear. He suggests that disabled people like myself should use shock collars to train our dogs yet none of the charities who train Guide Dogs/Assistance Dogs etc use them and we have had better results by being calm and not raising our voice or hands when training. I hope that the RSPCA prevent his tour as his methods are barbaric and archaic but more to the point cruel and illegal. Wake up and smell the coffee all you fans of this thug – he admitted recently to using shock collars and to punching dogs so you can’t deny that anymore and as Anton Ramos above mentioned if we all went round beating/punching people we would get arrested – time CM was and deported back to Mexico where his ego might deflate again

I have rescued what CM would call a ‘red zone’ dog, with positive training, she became the best dog ever. Positive training works. The reason she became that way was because her basic needs were not attended to, e.g., no walks, no socializing with people or other dogs and a poor diet. Yes it took time, I gave up my spare time to take her to training classes, go for long walks, sorted out a healthy diet all things dog’s need and yes I never gave up. I even got a second dog (rescued puppy) who was a german shepherd, doberman, wolfhound mix to complete our doggie family. When our daughters were born, our dogs were there for them, they were happy to play ball, curl up next to them when we had story time, be cuddled when a child felt sad, yes, they were the perfect companions who both died of old age. Love, Respect and take time to use positive training and you can turn a dog around. I have also rescued a shutdown dog – due to being trained by CM methods with positive training, she too is a wonderful dog. Alan Titchmarsh gave a good interivew, CM went on the show to promote his next UK tour, he was given the chance to say why he uses e-collars, in fact every interview he goes on he gives different excuses including disabled people need them to control their dogs. Really, so how does he think ‘dogs for the disable’ train their dogs (some from rescue centres), by positive training.

Ceasar is an incredible dog trainer!
I am desperate to get his help with one of my dogs who is a beautiful jack Russell x Pug ( possibly another breed also) and is great to have around other than outdoors and his aggression towards cars, dogs and bad weather is unbearable… So far I have attempted some of Caesars ways and had improvements, however I can’t quite get it right. I have tried multiple dog trainers and behaviourists with no luck…
Does anyone know how I can get closer to some form of contact with ceasar himself or recommend any other avenues of training that aren’t as costly as the usual hefty hourly rate?

Cesar Millan (the Dog Whisperer) is one of the few people who truly understands dogs, what on earth does Alan Titchmas know, he’s a gardener? Also all these people that think tapping a dog with your hand, or gently prodding with your foot is cruel are (if they actually own a dog) the type of owners that need his help the most. Dogs respect a calm and assertive leader, not someone who humanises them and is too afraid to correct unwanted behaviour. If only people would watch his amazing transformations, all done without any cruelty whatsoever, before spouting their ignorance online. If all dog owners were like Cesar Millan it would be a much better situation for dogs and thats an irrefutable fact. How many dogs have you trained successfully?

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